Coffeehouse-church proposed for downtown Pottstown

When the church services put on there are only broadcast on a large screen on Sundays in a rented room entirely separate from the cafe operation.

That was the argument made by attorney Ken Picardi Wednesday night to borough council as he tried to convince members to change their minds and support an application, backed by the Morningstar Fellowship Church in Bechtelsville, to open an “upscale” cafe in the New York Plaza building on High Street.

As described by Picardi, the proposal envisions an “upscale” cafe called “Connections on High” that would occupy 6,000 square feet on the first floor of the 30,000 square-foot New York Plaza building.

Advertisement

A separated “multi-purpose room” with high tech capabilities and room for seating up to 150 people would be open for rent to businesses, non-profit groups, organizations and, twice on Sundays, to Morningstar Fellowship.

On Sundays, the room would be used not for live sermons, Picardi said, but for “livestreaming” of the sermon being preached at the church’s main location on Limekiln Road in Bechtelsville.

Given that the facility will be open six and perhaps seven days per week, the space would spend only about 5 percent of its time performing a “church” function, and the rest of the time, it would be operated as a private, for-profit enterprise.

Morningstar, which already holds services on Saturday evenings for about 90 people down the street in the United Methodist Church at 414 High St., will not only rent the multi-purpose space, it will also put up the money for starting-up the business.

“Connections on High” would be owned and operated by a legal entity separate from the church and run by Liz DeFrain, who is not only a pastor at the church, but wife to the church’s lead pastor Steve DeFrain, Picardi said.

After two years, it is hoped the cafe will be “self-supporting” without receiving financial support from the church, Picardi said.

“This is a business enterprise,” said Picardi.

However, when the application was first made to borough hall, the borough’s zoning officer, Maria Bleile, denied a permit on the grounds that it was a church, which is a prohibited use in the downtown businesses zone where the New York Plaza building is located.

It was on that basis that council voted to have Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. write a letter to the zoning hearing board opposing the application for a variance from the zoning restriction.

However, the hearing never occurred.

Initially, the application to the zoning hearing board had sought a variance, but instead, Picardi said, the DeFrains now want the zoning board to issue an “interpretation” of the zoning code.

Picardi’s contention is that the operation he described to council Wednesday night does not fit the zoning code’s own definition of a church and, therefore, cannot be denied on that basis.

He noted that the borough zoning code defines a church as “a building wherein persons assemble regularly for religious worship and that is used only for such purposes and for those accessory activities as are customarily associated therewith.”

Given that the building will be used for other purposes beyond its religious one for the majority of the time it is open, the application “does not meet the definition of a church,” Picardi said.

He confirmed an observation made by Councilman Travis Gery that should the zoning board interpretation support the zoning officer’s ruling, that the DeFrains would then challenge the validity of the ordinance itself, arguing that the prohibitions on churches in the downtown business zone are discriminatory.

However, Picardi said, the applicants’ preference would be for borough council to support the their interpretation of the code and say so in a letter to the zoning board.

Picardi, who mentioned that he and his wife are involved with several organizations in town, including his chairmanship of the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, said council’s concerns about the application were “understandable,” but assured them “I would not advocate anything that was detrimental to the downtown business district.”

He said the cafe’s hours, later into the evening, would serve to support the Steel River Playhouse theater across the street, by offering theatergoers a place to eat after the show.

Liz DeFrain said the business would serve “lite fare” and seat 25 to 30 people at a time.

“I love those over-stuffed chairs and we’re trying to create a Barnes & Noble feel right in downtown Pottstown,” she said.

“This business will draw high-quality individuals into the business district and enhance the downtown, in particular the theater,” Picardi said. “Their mission in this case is to help the borough of Pottstown.”

Approving the business would also help keep the New York Plaza on the tax rolls, he said.

Council offered no indication of how it would vote at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at which the public is allowed to address council.

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.